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Cylinder Surface Area Calculator

Your numbers

Change any value to update the result.

Total surface area

150.796447units²

Total surface area: 150.796447 units²
Examples

Both ends plus the wall: 2πr² + 2πrh, which factors to 2πr(r + h). For an open tube or a label that only wraps the side, use the wall alone — 2πrh, which is 2πrh and nothing more.

The numbers at a glance

Held fixed: Base radius 3.000.

HeightTotal surface area
2.00094.247780
4.000131.946891
5.000Your value150.796447
6.000169.646003
8.000207.345115
10.000245.044227

Worked examples

How it's calculated

A = 2 × π × r × (r + h)

  1. StepMeasure the radius of the circular end.Base radius=3
  2. StepMeasure the height between the two ends.Height=5
  3. ResultRead the total area in the square of the unit you entered.150.796447units²

Reference table

Radius, heightExactTotal area
0.5, 33.5π10.995574
1, 14π12.566371
2, 736π113.097336
3, 548π150.796447
4, 464π201.061930
5, 10150π471.238898

Questions

How do you find the surface area of a cylinder?

Add the two circular ends, 2πr², to the wall, 2πrh. Radius 3 and height 5 give 48π, about 150.80 square units.

How big is the label on a tin?

The wall only: 2πrh. A tin of radius 3 and height 5 needs a label 2π × 3 = 18.85 wide and 5 tall, about 94.25 square units.

What about a tube open at both ends?

Then neither circle counts and the area is just 2πrh. Open at one end, add a single πr².

Which shape uses the least material for a given volume?

For a closed cylinder, the one whose height equals its diameter — height twice the radius. That is why the case 4, 4 above is not the cheapest: it is taller than wide.

Sources and last check

  1. mathworld.wolfram.com

Information, not professional advice.